Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Kingsley maintains a lifetime approval rate of 48%, which trails the Tacoma WA office average of 58% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from 1,389 lifetime decisions. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for your individual hearing.
Office- and national-level breakdowns of fully favorable vs denial rates aren't currently published by SSA in the per-office disposition data. The judge's own breakdown is the detail we have today.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Kingsley's docket. Annual rates fluctuate with the mix of cases SSA assigns; the longer-run pattern is more informative than any single year.
Decision pattern
Over one year on the bench, Judge Kingsley has maintained an approval rate of 48%. This pattern reflects a consistent approach to evaluating disability claims since 2016. While the latest reporting period shows a variance compared to the wider office, the lifetime data remains the most reliable indicator of historical decision-making tendencies. This stability suggests a predictable approach to the evidence presented in your case.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Kingsley's bench. Judge-specific preparation guidance requires a corpus of public Appeals Council decisions involving each judge, which we haven't built yet.
- Bring a clean treating-physician record. Longitudinal primary-care or specialist notes spanning the disability period, with consistent symptom documentation, are typically the strongest evidence at hearing. A single month's records usually aren't enough.
- Don't rely on consultative exams alone. If your medical evidence is built primarily around a one-time CE finding, expect detailed questioning. Supplement with treating-source statements where possible.
- Prepare for daily-activity questions. Have honest, specific answers about a typical day. Answers that conflict with the medical record (in either direction) tend to hurt credibility.
- Expect transferable-skills probing. A vocational expert will usually testify about jobs available to someone with your limitations. Your representative should be prepared to cross-examine.
Hearing with Judge Kingsley? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Tacoma WA hearing office
The Tacoma WA hearing office serves you and other claimants throughout the region, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 58%. You can expect a formal process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the Tacoma WA Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your judge is typically selected at random. Within the Tacoma WA office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 31% to 72%. This variance highlights that the judge you draw can influence the hearing experience. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
SSDI hearing approval rates — represented vs. on your own
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.